Online Course
First Principles
$24
Instructor
David Helm
Lead Pastor, Christ Church Chicago
David serves as the senior pastor of Christ Church Chicago and Chairman of the Board of the Charles Simeon Trust, an organization dedicated to the sound preaching of God’s Word. Before that, he served as Lead Pastor in the Hyde Park congregation of Holy Trinity Church. A graduate of Wheaton College, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, David is ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). For Crossway, he authored 1 & 2 Peter and Jude, The Big Picture Story Bible, and contributed to Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching in Honor of Kent Hughes. He also authored One-to-One Bible Reading for Matthias Media and the 9Marks volume Expositional Preaching.
Lesson 1
Free Lesson: Staying on the Line
David Helm In this first lesson of First Principles, David Helm tackles the sufficiency of the Scriptures and what happens when we add or subtract from them. 0:00 — Expository preaching's one governing conviction: sermon preparation must tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" 2:48 — Deuteronomy 4:2: the proof text behind faithful biblical exposition — staying on "the line" of Scripture 5:47 — Discussion: real-world examples of preachers drifting from expository preaching in sermon prep 8:37 — The "inebriated preacher" illustration: a warning against misusing the Bible in preaching 9:06 — Liberalism vs. legalism in preaching: a funeral sermon that cuts John 14:6 17:01 — Charles Simeon's conviction for expository preachers: say no more or less than the text means 17:48 — Genesis 3: the first crisis in handling God's word rightly 23:21 — A preacher's failure to expound Scripture, illustrated by the St. Helen's Bishop Gate pulpit 30:01 — The fallout when preachers abandon expository preaching: religion and rebellion take over 33:13 — Moses's faithful handling of God's word vs. Saul's failure as a preacher 36:25 — Jesus models expository preaching in Matthew 19, staying on the line of Scripture 43:15 — Closing charge for biblical expositors: rightly handle the word of God — stay on the line Go To LessonLesson 2
Pathway for Preparation
David Helm In this lesson of First Principles, David Helm shares an overview of how an expositor might begin to approach the Word of God, a pathway for working through a text.Lesson 3
Structure
David Helm In this lesson of First Principles, David Helm works through strategies for uncovering the structure of a particular text of Scripture, so that the emphasis of the text might be discovered.Lesson 4
Context
David Helm In this lesson of First Principles, David Helm explores some the different types of context the preacher must utilize to properly understand his text.Lesson 5
Melodic Line
David Helm In this lesson of First Principles, David Helm suggests that one key to understanding a text is understanding the big idea of the whole book and how it relates to a particular text.Lesson 6
Text and Framework
David Helm In this lesson of First Principles, David Helm argues that we need to be aware of what theological and cultural frameworks we bring the study of the Scriptures, and then also have the discipline submit them to the text.Lesson 7
Connecting to the Gospel
David Helm In this lesson of First Principles, David Helm makes the case that the Scriptures revolve around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and, given that, that exposition should always relate the text to the gospel.Lesson 8
Application
David Helm In this final lesson of First Principles, David Helm provides strategies for effective application that is driven from our text.Downloads